Divock would have given more to Kenya than Belgium
What you need to know:
- That is how Divock’s world has turned. It got me thinking as I had four years ago, suppose the young Origi had opted to play for Kenya? Imagine Divock leading and inspiring Kenya to an African Cup of Nations qualification.
- No, think of Divock leading tiny Harambee Stars to their first ever World Cup appearance. Now, that would be more than romantic. That would seal Divock and the Origi name in the annals of Kenyan football history.
- And why, just like George Weah with Liberia, our Divock, playing for and motivating Harambee Stars would have so much to give to Kenyan football and the Kenyan society.
Four years ago, things were looking up for Divock Origi, the Belgian international forward born of Kenyan parents (former Harambee Stars striker Mike Origi and Linda Adhiambo).
Divock had been called up to the Belgium team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was one of the most promising forwards in the world then.
He commanded acres of space in Kenyan sports pages with many ‘patriotic’ editors inserting words like “Kenyan-born Belgian” to headlines.
Even though he had never said “I’m not boarding” most Kenyan’s considered him one of theirs and genuinely appreciated his growing success in professional football, albeit as a Belgian.
But, inevitably, the debate on whether he should have opted to play for Kenya rather than Belgium raged. I remember a story done by Nation Sports on his father categorically stating that the young Origi had made the decision to play for the Red Devils rather than Harambee Stars purely for the sake of his career.
Many victory-starved Kenyan football fans loudly supported that decision. I was not one of them, and will come to that shortly.
The speedy, six-foot Divock did have a good World Cup in South America scoring one of Belgium’s six goals as they powered to the quarter-finals before falling 1-0 to Argentina.
He, in fact, became Belgium’s youngest ever World Cup goal scorer at just 19 years, two months and four days.
His Brazil exploits helped him secure a deal to English giants Liverpool from Lille though he stayed on loan at the French Ligue One club before moving to Anfield for the 2015-2016 season.
He is now on a season-long loan to struggling Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.
Four years after Brazil 2014 things have unravelled for Divock. After a bright start in Germany at the beginning of the season where he scored four times in his first nine games to be voted Bundesliga rookie of the month for November, fortunes turned for the worse in a horror 17-match run where he netted just once.
Belgium left him out of their provisional 28-man Russia World Cup squad. The news was treated with muted neutrality in Kenya.
In Belgium, fans demonstrated while former players voiced their criticism. Not of Divock’s exclusion but that of another player, Roma’s creative midfielder Radja Nainggolan.
Imagine, within hours of the announcement over 16,000 Belgium fans had signed a petition demanding Nainggolan be called up, but not a mention of Origi junior.
That is how Divock’s world has turned. It got me thinking as I had four years ago, suppose the young Origi had opted to play for Kenya? Imagine Divock leading and inspiring Kenya to an African Cup of Nations qualification.
No, think of Divock leading tiny Harambee Stars to their first ever World Cup appearance. Now, that would be more than romantic. That would seal Divock and the Origi name in the annals of Kenyan football history.
And why, just like George Weah with Liberia, our Divock, playing for and motivating Harambee Stars would have so much to give to Kenyan football and the Kenyan society.
More than what he will ever offer Belgium.
